School sux!

Not really. I just had to abandon Operation Suck-Up and transfer to Operation Don't Look Like a Chump.

[Digression: why do we have such lame names for US military operations? Infinite Justice. Onward Righteousness. Enduring Privilege. Etc. In Russia, a recent sting on police corruption was called "Operation Werewolves in Uniform." How expressive! How evocative! How close to a Warren Zevon song!]

The class is going to be great for me -- only 7 students and a professor barking in rapid-fire Russian for 3 hours. There are two returned Peace Corps volunteers and a journalist who worked in the Ukraine for a few years. They speak very well, but since none of them had formal training, they don't know any of the grammar or structure. I, on the other hand, know the grammar and speak (more or less) correctly, but don't have near the conversational range or comprehension abilities of these other kids. I'm also only 75% certain that I wrote down the correct homework assignment.

I had a strange dizzy feeling at the end of the class. My head kind of hurt. There was a dull sort of throbbing in between my ears. What on earth? Did I forget to eat? Am I dehydrated? It all felt sort of...familiar... Ah yes! I have felt this before! It's called thinking! How delightful!